In today's society, social, medical or legal assistance is often needed by vulnerable individuals (e.g., children, elderly, disabled, battered wives, etc.) who are unable to independently seek help. Examples of social incidents involving such vulnerable individuals include, for instance, child or elder abuse, animal abuse, spousal abuse, domestic violence, suicide, persons with mental disorder requiring assistance, kidnapping, and so forth. Government agencies or other aid organizations empowered to provide help often reach out to the public through mass communication for help in reporting such social incidents or to directly appeal to individuals to seek help.
Friends, family members or other witnesses may report such social incidents via the telephone, e-mails or in-person, which requires the reporting person to identify himself or herself. In addition to being identified, such persons often face interference with personal time and space, which may deter them from actually making the reports. The provision of anonymity is typically not available since the veracity of any report by an anonymous person cannot be resolved with certainty.
A lack of a framework that allows a person to anonymously report social incidents or individuals who need assistance can prevent or delay delivery of much needed help. Aid agencies or organizations are not able to optimize the deployment of resources, e.g., opening a mental health care center at a location where many people are affected within the vicinity. Absence of such framework also presents a gap in investigative assistance tools available to such agencies.